Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Hitei]

The empty space on the map, if we not get playable Ethereals, might be the starting zone for new DHs?

I think that Blizzard might tie the new player experience in Midnight with classes, more than factions or races. Order Halls could be involved too. I can see a quick Main Questline for each class being the new leveling.

I think people are putting too much expectation into the follow-up patches for 11.2 containing grand stuff and big sudden changes. K'aresh makes extensive use out of existing assets from SL, DF and I'd imagine, 12.0. We already know three huge things that are coming in the next eight months: the game mode set in Duskwood, Legion Remix, and Housing.

It seems very overly optimistic to assume that alongside all that, and Midnight's coming into focus as a priority, that they are also worried about a new starting zone for one class.

[Sondrelk]

I could see a zone being added to K'aresh. Though really more because the rest of the zone seems so rushed. If there was another floating island like the others, then it's fully possible. Even more so if you consider the possibility that it's just an open world version of the dungeon.

[milkmustache]

We already know three huge things that are coming in the next eight months: the game mode set in Duskwood, Legion Remix, and Housing.

It seems very overly optimistic to assume that alongside all that, and Midnight's coming into focus as a priority, that they are also worried about a new starting zone for one class.

Two huge things and a temporary experimental game mode.

I don't agree with the take that a side area would be used for a DH starting zone at all, but I would not be surprised if there were more to come from K'aresh, especially the empty area. Otherwise, it's an incredibly odd zone design.

[Hitei]

Two huge things and a temporary experimental game mode.

I don't agree with the take that a side area would be used for a DH starting zone at all, but I would not be surprised if there were more to come from K'aresh, especially the empty area. Otherwise, it's an incredibly odd zone design.

It's not an island or something, it's a handful of broken shards leading to the manaforge.

[Cheezits]

Considering there's no Season 4 I assume there's something besides the new gamemode for 11.2.5 retail. While I would love it to be Ethereals with a small island added for them, it could just be some turbo mode turned on and that's that.

[Limayria]

I just can't see why the map would be the way it is with the huge gap to the side if they weren't gonna add anything

[milkmustache]

It's not an island or something, it's a handful of broken shards leading to the manaforge.

Even if it was an island it'd be a strange zone design. Being shards of a fractured planet does not change the fact that they're oddly placed shards.

[Cheezits]

I will say that if the rumors are true, it brings into question who would lead the Ethereals if they are playable.

Unless of course it is Ve'nari.

[Hitei]

Even if it was an island it'd be a strange zone design. Being shards of a fractured planet does not change the fact that they're oddly placed shards.

My point was that it isn't an island, so there's no reason for it to be regular on the map.

The zone isn't supposed to be a balanced circular continent, or even a whole group of landmasses making up a circular continent. It's a handful of scattered, jagged remnants just floating in a chain, so ostensibly the layout reflects that. They aren't oddly placed. The fragments form a natural path from Tazavesh at the top down to the eco domes, then towards the conduit fragment and to the gate to Omega.




This is the actual area. It's a cohesive thought out progression of four islands, designed fundamentally as such. A broken path. that slopes in a natural progression with the far left and far right being jagged peaks and the middle being lower so that it forms a really nice looking landscape going off into the distance.

I just don't imagine the plan here is to then stick some random out of place island off on its own to the side. I don't think it's actually a gap, I think there's just a space there because they rotated the layout to make it less uniform and that left an open area.

The area is genuinely just designed like a normal landscape painting to pull your focus from the top down towards the far side. The place where this "gap" is doesn't seem to be designed with any of the other pieces of terrain in mind.

[Vakir]

Yeah that outcome kinda kills playable Ethereals. More curious what we get instead if anything significant.

[Hitei]

Yeah that outcome kinda kills playable Ethereals. More curious what we get instead if anything significant.

It doesn't really kill playable Ethereals, it's just very much not evidence towards them. To begin with, the untamed were kinda never, ever the likely group of playable ones. They are the ones wholly dedicated to the remnants of Ka'resh, whose entire life is surviving on the planet and either enforcing the will of their late king or the guarding the planet and worshipping the worldsoul.

It'd really make no sense for them to be the ones out spending most of their time on another planet dealing with other people's issues.

[Vakir]

It doesn't really kill playable Ethereals, it's just very much not evidence towards them.

I dunno. A significant prevailing idea to new playable races tends to be a destiny tied to our Azeroth as a home.

The idea of K'aresh being a cautionary tale seemed to be going into the direction that Azeroth's whole threat can be a way to find a more permanent dwelling and to prevent a repeat of their tragedy - Draenei 2.0 for a different threat if you will.

Having K'aresh be more self-sufficient and regrowing kind of kicks that idea (and unintentionally makes the cautionary element a lot less dire) because there's not as much a ton of reason for them to come along.

Not saying it's bad or anything, just different.

[Wangming]

I dunno. A significant prevailing idea to new playable races tends to be a destiny tied to our Azeroth as a home.

The idea of K'aresh being a cautionary tale seemed to be going into the direction that Azeroth's whole threat can be a way to find a more permanent dwelling and to prevent a repeat of their tragedy - Draenei 2.0 for a different threat if you will.

Having K'aresh be more self-sufficient and regrowing kind of kicks that idea (and unintentionally makes the cautionary element a lot less dire) because there's not as much a ton of reason for them to come along.

Not saying it's bad or anything, just different.

They could come to Azeroth because it is a functional planet with flora, fauna and geölogy. Let's be frank, Outland is caput. So is Argus. Azeroth on the other hand is still a place with biodiversity and everything. A good place to steal from.

But if Knaifu Waifu uses the Sunwell as a nuke and turns Azeroth into a second K'aresh or worse, there won't be a place to take new samples from. So helping Azeroth remain as a nice place is their best interest.

[Vakir]

They could come to Azeroth because it is a functional planet with flora, fauna and geölogy. Let's be frank, Outland is caput. So is Argus. Azeroth on the other hand is still a place with biodiversity and everything. A good place to steal from.

But if Knaifu Waifu uses the Sunwell as a nuke and turns Azeroth into a second K'aresh or worse, there won't be a place to take new samples from. So helping Azeroth remain as a nice place is their best interest.

I suppose. It's less dire/dramatic and a way more surface level decision than the more bombastic idea for a group to go "as a people, we must stop wandering to try to find a more permanent home and prevent this calamity being repeated!" vs. "lol let's hang here for science stuff to bring to our real home."

It'd be kinda like if we found a way to stabilize Outland for the orcs, or they went through with the Calia bullshit for the Forsaken before the backlash made them walk it back. They have a reason to be around with the culture as a costume but the actual conflict is kinda lessened and a lot of the identity shifts.

[Wangming]

I suppose. It's less dire/dramatic and a way more surface level decision than the more bombastic idea for a group to go "as a people, we must stop wandering to try to find a more permanent home and prevent this calamity being repeated!" vs. "lol let's hang here for science stuff to bring to our real home."

It'd be kinda like if we found a way to stabilize Outland for the orcs, or they went through with the Calia bullshit for the Forsaken before the backlash made them walk it back. They have a reason to be around with the culture as a costume but the actual conflict is kinda lessened and a lot of the identity shifts.

You are right. But also the let's stop wondering story has been done quite a few times. Mostly by Horde races, but the Draenei story is literally: Let's stop wondering and make sure something like Argus never happens again.

[Porcos Voadores]

Has this been discussed yet?https://www.reddit.com/r/warcraftlore/s/mpo5PewDMw

ok, if this is true and k'aresh gains some life again and for ethereal they have a home, doesnt that literraly means that they wont be part of the horde or alliance? bc if they can rebuild there home, why would they join us?

[Vakir]

You are right. But also the let's stop wondering story has been done quite a few times. Mostly by Horde races, but the Draenei story is literally: Let's stop wondering and make sure something like Argus never happens again.

Yup. I get why they wouldn't want a repeat even though it's been about 20 years.

The thing that's a quirk or perhaps an issue with science fantasy races in a mostly high fantasy setting where there's major technological advancements allowing interstellar travel is that you need a REALLY good reason for one planet to be the sole important one.

So you only have a handful of excuses and a super dead planet is the easiest, lol

[Thomir]

ok, if this is true and k'aresh gains some life again and for ethereal they have a home, doesnt that literraly means that they wont be part of the horde or alliance? bc if they can rebuild there home, why would they join us?

Gratitude and to help prevent our world from meeting the same fate as theirs. Even though K'aresh is restored, it's still pretty fucked up what happened to it.

[Cheezits]

If it's not the Wastelanders we may get a Wandering Isle situation, like a spaceship full of them. But the devs did point out the story ending having something to do with the future of Ethereals.

[Hitei]

Speaking of things now that have to do with things later, I feel pretty confident that the entire purpose of the void glass areas and comet's destruction of Eco Dome: Rhovan is solely to familiarize players for when those same things thoroughly mess up Quel'thalas, especially since we have soft confirmation of the void glass meteors being dropped on QT.